The Place of the Church in Tentmaking - Report Example

Tentmaking is a missionary tradition that is as relevant today as it was in the days of the apostle Paul. Tentmaking has been used successfully to enter regions that are hostile to Christianity as well as those that are restrictive, but relatively open. In modern times, missions have used tentmaking to enter hostile regions. Businesspeople in Korea have used tentmaking as an effective strategy to evangelize people in China. Tentmaking is a necessary strategy because it facilitates natural, sustained contact with non-believers and conserves scarce mission funds for truly needed mission resources like clothing, food, and education. The question arises why this fundamental biblically taught tactic is not being pursued actively in our modern free society, especially given that church supported clergies are declining each decade with more pastors preferring paid vocation in the ministry job market as in any other secular field. The apostle Paul became the most notable proponent of tentmaking when he refused to accept financial support from the church or other wealthy donors and pursued the vocation of tentmaking instead. In fact, Paul was a staunch advocate of bringing the ministry and workplace together. Tentmaking opens up the possibilities for preaching of the gospel by ordinary men and women in the normal course of their secular lives. It requires the removal of the distinction between secular and spiritual and encourages the view that tentmaking is a mission field into the workplace. Modern means of communication and transportation as well as economic developments have created new opportunities for the tentmaking mission. However, as churches have evolved into modern institutions and seminaries neglect the teaching of tentmaking skills in the curricula, tentmaking has fallen into decline. Consumerist ideologies and economic pressures have put further strain on the capacity of people to simultaneously pursue a conventional vocation and preach the gospel, more so in the free and economically wealthy cities and countries and where a decline in Christianity if more prevalent. This paper seeks to answer the question “Why not pursue tentmaking as a mission to the marketplace?” It also argues the tentmaking is in decline because of misconceptions perpetuated by seminaries, inadequate training and capitalist values in societies. The need to bridge the gap between the church and the tentmaking laity is also emphasized in this paper. Cox explains that the growth of the church was supported by the achievements of the laity as well as the ministry1. Cox then interprets the journeys and vocations of Abraham, Joseph and Daniel as forms of tentmaking or self-support2. Historically, the work of tentmakers was viewed as important because it freed the saints to discharge the responsibilities of the ministry. During the first three centuries, tentmaking leadership was the norm, as even pastors of large churches serving communities of six hundred or more people were financially self-supporting3. William Carey and Christy Wilson have been cited as two notable tentmakers from modern history who undertook important missions while achieving remarkable secular accomplishments as well4. Ruth Siemens was a major proponent of preaching the gospel by having young people from the United States seeks foreign employment opportunities during the 1980s. In 1989, task forces to facilitate collaboration between the tentmaking missions were set up at Lausanne. Since then, little progress has been made to galvanize the tentmaking movement. The Necessity for Tentmaking Tentmaking is not only a useful but at times is a necessary aspect of the mission to preach the gospel, especially in hostile countries. A number of countries do not allow freedom to preach to the local population, especially Muslim countries where apostasy may even be punishable by death. In this kind of an environment tentmaking can be a useful way of maintaining discreetness while preaching the gospel through words and acts5. Tentmaking allows people to interact more easily without any inhibitions and ask questions that they would feel hesitant to ask a formal church official6. Secondly, by engaging in conventional vocations and trades, tentmaking gives preachers the freedom from the constant vigilance to which churches are subjected in hostile countries. Lai explains that in order to achieve the mission as a member of the church ministry, it is important to be present in the society on a continuous and sustained basis7. To do this without being disembarked from the country by hostile governments, it is important to be discreet. Tentmaking allows preachers of all kinds to perform their duties in a discrete way and engage with members of the population on a continuous basis8. By quoting the example of John Wesley who was one of the first to break away from the tradition of preaching solely from behind the church pulpit, Lai argues that tentmaking represents the paradigm shift that has become necessary to adapt the traditions of preaching to the contemporary context9. He argues that the conventional strategy of supporting preachers of the gospel through the church or through charitable donations is no longer viable to meet the emerging challenges of preaching the gospel in the twenty-first century. In an important sense, tentmaking empowers and liberates preachers from the confines and control of the church and wealthy patrons and makes it easy for the preacher to preach the true message of Jesus10. If tentmaking works so successfully in the mission field, why can’t it work in the democratically free societies like Vancouver, Washington DC, London, Seoul, and Berlin? One could argue that secularism and modernism are just as hostile if not worse than any religiously restrictive countries for Christian mission. Churches are bound in their own little territory and legal boundaries. Their views and thoughts are to be controlled and monitored to make sure they are not infringing upon society’s privacy and freedom. Sunday sermons are closely monitored to make sure that the message is politically correct with the views of the popular trends. The churches and seminaries have adapted to the tactics of consumerism ideology where the message is to grow and grow even bigger, even if it means watering or abandoning the gospel. Biblical Evidence of Tentmaking One of the reasons for the decline in tentmaking is the failure to interpret the biblical evidence for tentmaking. Paul is the leading proponent of tentmaking and various instances in the New Testament can be interpreted to verify the necessity of tentmaking as a valid and credible strategy for the evangelizing mission. The New Testament mentions the three journeys undertaken by Paul to preach the gospel. These journeys took him to Antioch, Greece and Ephesus. On each of these journeys, Paul engaged in tentmaking to which he was first exposed by Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18)11. Next, in Acts 19, which describes the third journey of Paul to Ephesus, we come across the mention of Paul preaching to a gathering in his work clothes12. This is evidence of the fact that Paul was engaged in some kind of employment and did not rely on the church to finance him. Later in Acts 20: 30-35 Paul exhorts his elders at the time of leaving Ephesus to follow his example of working to sustain himself financially13. Paul clarifies the position on church support by stating that he and Barnabas are equally entitled to receiving financial support from the church, but that he forgoes this right to lend credibility to his preaching. Furthermore, in 1 Cor. 9, Paul explicitly denies having made any use of this right during his preaching14. This is an important evidence to challenge the common misperception that Paul was well provided for and only engaged in tentmaking when he was short of money. Additionally, in 1 Cor. 9:12 and 2 Cor. 6:3 Paul states his reasoning for engaging in tentmaking and denying any support from the church or other donations15. He states that tentmaking enabled him to increase the credibility of his message, as he did not come under obligation to the church or other influential people in the community. Opportunities for Tentmaking It is a common misconception that tentmaking is irrelevant to contemporary times and that the missions associated with the church are the most effective way of preaching the gospel to the unreached peoples. In fact, tentmaking is more relevant and practicable in the contemporary times compared with formal missions because many countries restrict the entry of formal evangelical missions and even when they are allowed to enter, their activities are constantly under surveillance. In such an environment, the best way to spread the mission rapidly to a large number of people is through the tentmaking mission. Even in relatively free and democratic countries such as those in the West, forces such as secularism and civil rights as well as social prejudices hinder the propagation of Christianity through traditional missionary approaches. For this very reason, tentmaking strategy in the workplace makes more sense. Weerstra gives an optimistic account of how the scope for tentmaking is expanding in the present times and how it is becoming the strategy of choice for preaching the gospel16. Weerstra points to the collaboration between the Tentmakers International Exchange and the Christian Business Men’s Committee to make it easier for tentmakers to spread the word of God to unreached peoples by obtaining business and employment opportunities in those regions17. Over time as this collaboration takes root, it can be expected that the challenges of finding suitable employment that can provide sufficient time for preaching will be made available. Furthermore, the rapid pace of globalization has made tentmaking even easier. After the end of the world wars, economic development and integration occurred very rapidly. This led to the development of efficient means of transportation and communication. It has thus become much easier for tentmaking missionaries to obtain employment in countries that do not look forward to receiving evangelical missionaries. An example is the expansion of Korean businesses into China and the large number of jobs held by Filipino Christians across the countries of the Middle East. Growth in the international education, social work, medical care sectors means that more employment will be available for tentmakers in unreached countries. While we have used tentmaking as a strategic way of evangelizing into hostile areas successfully, we have now abandoned the tactic in our homeland that is declining due to secular hostility. The Absence of Church Support The obligation towards tentmaking does not mean that the church has no role in supporting the preachers of the gospel who reject dependence on the church for financial needs. On the contrary, support from the local church is essential to prepare and facilitate preachers on their mission. Martin laments that exclusive reliance on formal missionary programs will utterly fail to achieve the mission of preaching the gospel to distant regions of the world18. He argues that the church should not only offer moral support but should also support them by providing mentorship and grooming for preaching in distant and hostile regions. Martin implies that the tentmaking mission has suffered because of the ignorance and apathy of local churches19. He argues that the passive approach to the preaching mission adopted by local churches has led to the decline in the effectiveness of the tentmaking mission. He further argues for a more proactive role by churches where they should engage with the community and identify potential leaders who can participate in tentmaking. Martin states that instead of focusing on theology, local church leaders should identify potential leaders in the community and mentor them so that they can act as preachers of the gospel20. Furthermore, the lack of involvement in the preparation, training, commission and accountability of tentmaking preachers has led to a weakened relationship between the church and its preachers, which has many potential benefits if strengthened. Martin argues that local churches need to exercise accountability over tentmaking preachers and support them, even financially21. This is particularly important in situations where the preacher is unable to secure employment in a job that pays adequately. Therefore, the decline in the tentmaking tradition can be stemmed yet if the churches adopt a proactive and supportive role. It would be interesting to see how many of the top pastors around the world would be willing to forego their salary to be a tentmaking clergy. The Effect of Church Apathy and Demands of Modern Employment The decline in tentmaking is partly due to the poor perception and views of tentmaking held by the church. This point is made effectively by Johnson and Rundle (2006) in their paper on the unique features and challenges of business as a mission. An important perception held by church authorities that has done a great disservice to the tradition of tentmaking is that tentmaking is merely a stratagem to gain access to a country and population that can then be preached to. This view needs to be criticized because it fails to realize the effective role the preacher can play at work and when interacting with others at the workplace. Furthermore, another disservice that has been meted out to the tentmaking tradition is the demanding nature of work in contemporary times. Employees are expected to be available at all times even after official duty hours. This has the negative consequence of leaving hardly any time for missionary work. This perception also reflects the narrow-minded view towards tentmaking by ignoring the role that Christians can play in their normal day-to-day interactions with supervisors, colleagues and customers at work. The failure to realize the potential of tentmaking beyond a means to provide financial support has been a major reason for its decline in current times. Johnson and Rundle identify another challenge that prevents church officials from acknowledging the potential of tentmaking and promoting it in their communities22. This challenge is the dualistic view held by church ministers, which views the world in terms of distinct binary secular and spiritual domains. This view leads many in the church to consider only ministers associated with the church for missionary purposes. Johnson and Rundle argue that a large constituency has been alienated due to this view of the church23. Surely the top theological seminaries are not the culprits to this issue. Most seminaries train the pastoral ministry in the outlook of paid vocation and career. Many leave the institute with a dollar value stamped on their diploma. No finger-pointing intended as the apostle Peter was supported by the church and as the apostle Paul would say he had every right to take support, but did not. But why would we neglect to teach and train the ways of “tentmaking” which Paul so strongly advocated throughout his letters. The modern distressed economics of survival and needs are customary for the churches and it’s clergies. The apostle Paul has never denounced his colleague, apostle Peter, of any wrong-doing by taking support; nor will this paper claim to take Paul’s side as a better contributor to the spread of gospel to the gentiles. The argument is of double standards on “hostile mission” and domestic churches. Have we overlooked that perhaps the workplace could be our biggest forgotten mission field? What if, we could change the recruiting and training standards for the seminaries? What if, the seminaries recruited Christians from the workplace like executives, entrepreneurs, salespeople, engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and waitresses? What if, some courses were designed to train young seminarians of tentmaking vocational skills? How would our communities and churches change by these tentmakers? The Need to Promote Tentmaking Tentmakers alone cannot sustain the mission or bring it out of the decline into which it has fallen. The first step that can be taken to promote tentmaking is to develop collaborative partnerships. Butler argues that for the promotion of the tentmaking mission it is necessary to develop collaborative relationships among tentmakers and between tentmakers and the churches24. Butler further explains that such partnerships are essential as it can enable those involved to anticipate and identify challenges and problems25. With collaborative efforts the barriers and obstacles to tentmaking can be removed and the tentmaking mission can flourish despite limited resources. Harley has called for a new role that the church should assume to bring tentmaking out of its decline and promote its growth26. It is argued that the church needs to develop the capacity to function as a nursery for tentmaking by identifying, recruiting and training tentmakers. Furthermore, by quoting the task force objectives of the Lausanne Tentmakers International Exchange, Harley states that the church should assume a facilitating role with regard to tentmakers27. This is in contrast to the traditional view that the church is obligated to assist and facilitate only ministers associated with it. In addition, there is a need for churches and seminaries to revamp their curriculum to incorporate tentmaking and its principles. This is an important step because the present curriculum taught in most seminaries is geared towards business sector jobs that lack the spiritual values of tentmaking. Those who rise through this curriculum become financially-oriented and do not possess the foundational support that tentmaking provides. Churches should resist the capitalist pressures to use employment as an opportunity to amass wealth and compete with other churches and denominations. To promote tentmaking in this way would thus require a fundamental shift in how preaching and evangelizing is perceived presently. Reinterpreting the Role of the Church Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” People have traditionally manifested this statement by attending enclosed churches in the form of congregations. Despite the benefits of such attendance, this strategy has not helped to preach the gospel to those beyond the fold of Christianity. The need of the hour is to enhance the role of the church as an open resource center where people would be trained and then sent out to connect with people in their homes, schools, and workplaces. The invocation to make disciples has unfortunately assumed the form of a popularity contest between churches and preachers with each competing for greater number to add to their congregation. This strategy has done little for the spiritual uplift of those who attend the congregations because the substance of the message is lost in the consumerist packaging in which it is delivered. The usually one-hour long sermons lack the conviction that might be enhanced by self-sustaining preachers of the gospel. Instead of the one-hour a week congregation, the church should become an integral part of daily life, influencing people every moment of the day. The manifestation of Christianity should become not the weekly attendance of the Sunday congregation but the way in which people treat each other and do their daily jobs, to be a living testament as the apostle Paul did in his journeys. It is equally important for the churches to redirect their energies from competitive marketing, financial investments and public relations towards investing in the moral and spiritual force in their communities. Doing so would liberate the churches from incurring debts and dealing with the associated stress. There is a need for seminaries to change their approach towards induction and education as well. The focus on grooming preachers and academicians for the ministry should be expanded to include ordinary people and professionals. This would benefit the society by equipping those who come into regular contact with common people with the message of the gospel. The message delivered by an ordinary Christian in a regular environment would be more compelling than a mass attended once a week. These people would act as tentmakers and act as mission-minded business owners, empowered by God to use their skills and resources to proclaim Christ in the workplace. Conclusion Tentmaking continues to be as relevant today as it was during the times of Paul, perhaps more so. Globalization has made it easier for ordinary Christians to secure employment or business opportunities in unreached regions. Unfortunately, the much-needed support from the church has been lacking which has resulted in a decline in the tentmaking mission. The current clergies are ill-equipped to be self-sufficient; let alone qualified to be in the marketplace. For many, to sacrifice the high-paying pastoral position would be an economic suicide for their family. Furthermore, the church has failed to conceive that ordinary workplace people in tentmaking can bring about a significant impact on the spread of the gospel across our modern free society where Christianity is dwindling by each decade. Moreover, churches have become too involved with competition with other churches and denominations to pay due attention to promoting the tentmaking mission as tentmaking signifies opposite of all consumerism ideology. Seminaries too are to blame because they have failed to groom future ministers with the values of the tentmaking. Bibliography Butler, Phil. "Tentmaking and partnership for church planting among the unreached." International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, no. 1 (1998): 3-4. Cox, John. "The tentmaking movement in historical perspective." International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, no. 1 (1997): 111-117. Harley, D. Preparing to Serve: Training the Cross-Cultural Mission. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1995. Johnson, Neal and Steve Rundle. “Distinctiveness and Challenge of Business as Mission.” Business as Mission: From Impoverished to Empowered, EMS No. 14. Pasadena: William Carey, 2006:19-40. Lai, P. Tentmaking: The Life and Work of Business as Missions. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012. Martin, Danny D. "The place of the local church in tentmaking." International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, no. 3 (1997): 131-132. Siemens, Ruth E. "The vital role of tentmaking in Paul’s mission strategy." International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, no. 3 (1997): 121-129. Stevens, R. Paul. “Tentmaking” in Robert Banks and R. Paul Stevens.” (eds), The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997. Weerstra, Hans M. "Editorial: Tentmaking on the Frontiers." International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, no. 3 (1997): 1. Read More